In New South Wales the number of Indigenous people being jailed for stalking offences increased eight-fold over a five year period due to a police crackdown, statistics show.
In a report released this week by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, over-policing was also linked to increased rates of Indigenous people being imprisoned for breaching suspended sentence orders and good behaviour bonds.
Report author Don Weatherburn says if just half of those jailed received an Intensive Correction Order instead of a short prison sentence the number of Indigenous offenders would be reduced more than 500 a year.
An Intensive Corrective Order (ICO) is an alternative to a prison sentence of less than two years, and involves 32 hours of community service per month, rehabilitation and community supervision.
An ICO is less likely to be used in regional and remote areas where the necessary support services might not be available.
(IMAGE: Flickr Sara)
